Variable-resistance means.



B. R. GILL. VARIABLE RESISTANCE MEANS. APPLIOATIOK FILED AUG. 2, 1911.

1 ,026,798. Patented May 21, 1.912.

' 2 sums-sum 1.

WITNESSES f yin? E. R. GILL. VARIABLE RESISTANCE MEANS. APPLICATION rum) AUG. 2, 1911.

1,026,798. Patented May 21, 1912;

2 BEBETB-8HET 2.

INVENTOR a /Fm & Am r CQ A URN EDWIN R, GILL, 0F YONKERS, NEW YORK.

vAnIABLE-REsIsrANbE' MEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1912.

Application filed August 2, 1911. Serial No. 641,890.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN R. GILL, residing at Yonkers, in the county of Westohester and .State of New York, have invented I certain new and useful Improvements in Variable-Resistance Means, of which. the. following is a specificat on,

This iivention relates to resistance devices, and one of the objects thereof is to provide a new and improved variable resistance coil. 4

- The invention contemplates an improved unitary structure, preferably taking the form of a spool, with resistance wire connected at various points intermediate its ends, with a plurality of taps or terminals, and having means whereby any one or a plurality of lengths or sections of the. resistance wire may be cut out or shunted at will. 7 Another object of the invention is to provide a variable resistance coil such that a maximum range of resistance may be inter posed in a line.

Another object is to so arrange and connectthe resistance wire with a plurality of terminal members forming a part of said unitary structure that the ohmic resistance can he stepped up from zero to the maximumor vice versa in a series of geometrically progressive steps. Thus a very wide range of resistances may be had, and the quantity thereof easily and quickly adjusted.

While my invention is susceptible of a varietyof uses, it is particularly adapted to signaling systems, and I shall describe the same in that relation.

The invention accordinglyconsists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and the scope of the ap' plication of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein is illustrated a preferred form of embodiment of my invention: Figure 1 .is a View in plan showing the same; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof; Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the same diagrammatically; and Fig. 4 is a chart illustrating schematically the manner in which the various combina tions of resistance may be made in a single device.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 1

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 1' indicates takes the form of a spool, having the usual end flanges one of which is shown at 2. Positioned upon this spool, which is preferably constructed of wood, orother non-inductive material, is a coilldfwire 3, such wire being preferably formed of resistance materialsuch as German silver. Positioned concentrically upon the exterior surface of one of the flanges 2, as by means of the screws4 are terminal strips 5, each of said strips being furnished with a clamp screw 6. These strips in the present instance are eight in number, and are designated 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,'and l4. One end of the" coil of the resistance wire is connected to the strip desigiiated 7, the opposite end being connected to the strip designated 14.

Leading from the resistance wire at various points intermediate the ends thereof are tap wires 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20, connected respectively to the terminal strips 8, 9, 10,

11, 12 and 13. These with the resistance points thereof, whereby the resistance wire is divided into sections of difierent lengths. In the present instance the length of wire between strips '7 and 8 is suflicient to interpose a resistance of 200 strips 8 and 9, 400 ohms; that between strips 9 and 10, 800 ohms; that between strips 10 and 11, 1,600 ohms; that between strips 11 and 12, 3,200 ohms; that between strips 12 and 13, 6,400 ohms, and that between strips 13 and 14, 12,800 ohms. It will be noted that the ohmic resistance is stepped up from tap wires are connected the first sect-ion of the resistance wire to the,

last section thereof in a series of geometrically progressive steps.

that the total resistance of the present coil is the sum of the various resistances interposed between the terminal strips, in the present instance, 25,400 ohms, Therefore, if terminal strips 7 and14 were connected in the line a resistance equal to 25,400 ohms would be interposed therein. It will also be apparent that whenevertwo of the terminal strips are connected in the line, the interposed resistance will be equal tothe sum of coil at predetermined ohms; that between v a supportjfor the resistance wire which, in the pg esent instance,"

Thus it will be seen the resistance betweenthe adjacent pairs of said terminal strips, reading their identifying indicia clockwise about the spool.

In order to provide for a wider range of variation of resistance in the device, means is provided whereby any predetermined length or lengths of the resistance wire may be cut out or shunted. lhis means, in the present instance, comprises wires on strips as at 21, which maybe connected to adjacent terminal strips. This, as will be obvious, has the efiect of cutting out the resistance wire between the connected strips. The resistance of the devices may be varied as illustrated in the chart shown in Fig. l, where it will be seen. that in the present arrangement-the resistance may be varied in the steps of 200 ohms each, from zero to 25,400 ohms, although as above stated, the present arrangement is purely arbitrary. In this chart the point of connection with the terminal strips is indicated by the circles 22 and the shunting wires by the lines 23. I prefer to provide identifying indicia adjacent each terminal strip for indicating the resistance between the various pairs of said terminal strips. This enables the device to be quickly and accurately arranged and connected to interpose any desired resistance in a line. 1

Having thus described the construction of the present embodiment of my invention, the manner of using the same, which will be largely apparent, may now be understood. When the amount of resistance which is required in the line has been ascertained, it will only be necessary to so con nect the contact strip in the line, and short circuit such terminals as will interpose such length of resistance wire as will furnish the desired resistance. This can be readily done by one skilled in the art.

The device as above described. is particularly useful in signaling systems as when it is desirable to install a new signaling equipment intermediate the ends of a line. It will be seen that the resistancedevice at that station may be quickly adjusted and the resistance devices at the other stations may be quickly and accurately adjusted to the new current conditions.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this in-v vention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention, which as i. mat- 1'. In a device of the class described, the

combination'of a suitable support, a coil of resistance wire mounted thereon, a plurality of terminal members mounted upon said support, means for connecting. the. ends of said resistance wire to certain of said ternainal members, means for connecting the other terminal members with said resistance wire at various predetermined points intermediate the ends thereof, 'whereb-y a redeterrnined length of resistance wire is interposed between adjacent terminal members, and means for directly electrically connecting any pair of terminals whereby the resistance wire between such pair of connected terminal members will be short circuited.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination with a support, a coil of resist ance wire mounted thereon, a plurality of terminal members positioned upon said support, means for connecting certain of said terminal members with the respective ends of said. resistance wire, means for connecting others of said terminal men'ibers with said resistance wire at various predete'r mined points along the length thereof intermediate the ends, whereby a predetermined length of resistance wire is interposed between each pair or adjacent termi: nal members, and means carried by each terminal member whereby any two thereof may be connected in the line.

In a device of the class described, in combination with a support, a, coil of resistance wire mounted thereon, a plurality of terminal strips positioned upon said support, means for connecting certain'ot said terminal strips with the respective ends of said resistance wire, means for connecting the othcroii said terminal strips with said resistance wire at various predetermined points along the length thereof intermediate the ends, whereby a predetermined length of resistance wire is interposed between each pair of adjacent terminal strips, means carried by each terminal strip whereby any two thereof may be connected in the line, and means whereby any pair or pairs of adjacent terminal strips may be directly connected, thereby short circuiting the resistance wire between the connected terminals.

4. In a device of the kind described, in combination, a spool, a coil of resistance wire thereon, a plurality of terminal strips secured upon the flange of the spool, means for connecting one end of said resistance wire to one terminal strip, means for connecting the opposite end of said resistance Wire to an adjacent terminal strip, independent lneans for connecting each of the other terminal strips to the resistance wire of said coil at a predetermined point along the length thereof, and means whereby any pair of terminals may be directly connected, 'whereby the resistance wire interposed between the connected pair ,of terminal strips will be short circuited.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a suitable support, a coil of resistance wire thereon, a plurality of terminal members mounted upon said support, a

plurality of tap wires, eachof which connects one of said terminals with said resistance wire, the length of resistance wire intervening between the oints of connection of adjacent tap Wires eing different than that intervening between other adjacent tap wires at other points of connection with the resistance wire.

6. In a device ofthe class described, in

' combination, a suitable support, a coil of resistance wire thereon, a plurality of terminal ing connected with one end of said resistance Wire, the last of said series of terminal members being connected with the other end of said resistance wire, the resistance wire between the first pair of adjacent terminal members of said series being of predetermined length, and the resistance wire interposed between each succeeding adjacent terminal member of said series being of ditferent lengths.

8. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a support, a length of resistance wire thereon, a plurality of terminal members on said support, a plurality of tap wires each connecting one of said terminals with said length of resistance wire at a different point in the length thereof, where by the length of the resistance wire is divided into a plurality of sections each of said sections being of'dilierent length.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a support, a length of re sistance wire thereon, a plurality of terminal members on said support, a plurality of tap wires each connecting oiie bf said terminals with'said length of resistance wire at a different point in the length thereof, where by the length of the resistance wire is divided into a plurality of sections each of said sections being greater in length than the next preceding one.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination of a support, a length of resistance" wire thereon, a pl urality of terminal members on said support, a plurality of tap wires each connecting one or" said terminals with said length of resistance wire at a different point in the length thereof, whereby the length of the resistance wire is .divided into a plurality of sections the length I of said sections from one end of the resistance wire to the other increasing in geometrieal progression. is 4 11. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a suitable support, resist-- ance wire thereon,'a plurality of terminal members on said support, the ends of said resistance wire being connected to one of the pair of said terminal members respectively, said resistance Wire at predetermined points in its length being connected to theother of said terminals members respectively, whereby aprcdetermined length of resistance wire.

is interposed between adjacent terminal members, the length of resistance wire intervening between adjacent ones of said predetermined points of connection being different than that intervening between other adjacent ones oi said points, and means for directly electrically connecting any two terminals whereby the resistance wire between said pair of connected terminal members will be short circuited.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN R. GILL.

Witnesses A. S. Homcsnnnc,

NATHALIE THoMPsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of reams.

' Washington, D. C. 

